Pete's Wicked Red

Product Reviewed: Pete's Wicked Red
Brewed by: Pete's Brewing Company; Various Places in CA and MN
Date Reviewed: August 20, 1994
Reviewed by: David Brockington
Original Posted to Usenet: August 23, 1994

Format Corner:

The new line in the header seen above indicating "date reviewed" is the date that I actually tasted and took notes on the beer; not when I wrote the review or posted the review. I figured that it would be relevant as I have a backlog of notes, including some seasonals which I reviewed in May, June, or some other sundry, non Septemberish month. While reviewing, say, a Maibock may seem out of place in late August, when one sees that the notes were taken in June fears ought to subside. Enough of that.

Initial Impressions:

I know that I mentioned I would be reviewing Full Sail's Maibock this time, but once again I have deceived you. With all the talk of Pete's Wicked Red going about, I thought that a spot of timeliness would be prudent. Hence, rather than saving my Wicked Red review until the depths of Autumn are upon us, I am presenting it to you now, in all its alleged glory.

My sample came in the standard brown 12-ounce bottle. It was from a BAA shipment made to a friend here in the Seattle area. Said bottle made claims about utilizing Pale, Caramel and Munich malts in the mash, with late additions of Tettnanger hops. Is Pete taking cues from our friends at Budhook? As Pete traditionally avoids any sort of stylistic aspirations in his labeling, I will analyze this beer in a manner that would make any deconstructionist proud. :)

In the glass Wicked Red presented a nice copper hue. Small bubbles of CO2 created a light tan, creamy head that was quite persistent in leaving a familiar trail of lacework down the side of the glass. The beer was crystal clear in the glass, without the slightest hint of haze.

Nose:

A moderate degree of hoppiness was evident, along with a nice balancing maltiness.

Flavor:

This beer presents an interestingly irreverent profile, quite apart from what one would expect in an "amber" ale. A spicy maltiness, reminiscent of what one would expect out of a Dunkel lager from Munich, slowly moves into a subtle, balancing hop bitterness. A hint of diacetyl in the middle reminds one that this is indeed an ale rather than a lager, and lends an appropriate sophisticating note to the glass. Ultimately, this beer tends to the dryish rather than sweet maltiness; I suspect that this is due to the inclusion of munich malts which lend a dry, spicy/malty note to the beer. Altogether sophisticated, unanticipated, and enjoyable in that regard.

Final Analysis:

However unanticipated, though, the beer itself does not stand out, which may be its only fault. A seemingly unique combination of malts leaves one hoping for more excitement; yet the beer only provides hints of what could be. While slightly bland in this regard, I give the beer high marks for trying something somewhat off-the-wall with a non-style such as "Red".

***1/2 (out of 5)

David Brockington, Seattle, USA
bronyaur@u.washington.edu